There was another turn in the ongoing Derrick Rose saga on Tuesday night in Denver. Actually, it was more of the same. As Derrick continues to try to get back and stay on the court, Bulls fans wait patiently… at least some of us do.
I’ll admit, it has been pretty frustrating. This has been going on for about 31 months now, since Game 1 against Philly back in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. The torn ACL that essentially ended our 2012 playoff run, also kept Derrick out the entire next season and the 2013 playoffs. I remember that year… Would he be back after the all-star break? Will the Bulls bring him back with a month left in the season just so he could get a tune up for the playoffs? Maybe he’ll step on the court in Game 1 of the playoffs? Well, none of the above happened. Stories of him being medically cleared surfaced, and the anger towards Rose began. If he was medically cleared, why wasn’t he back on the court? Those thoughts did run through my head too… The Bulls Nets series that was happening ON the court was epic. It was an instant classic of a series that ended with the Bulls winning in 7 games. Next, waited Miami. Would Rose be back for this series? No, and as the Bulls fell to the eventual NBA champs, Rose caught some heat. You see, this has been going on for quite some time now.
As the 2013 NBA season began, there was excitement. Derrick Rose will finally be 100% healthy. We could put all that drama from the end of last year in the rearview mirror, and concentrate on THIS year. He’ll be back, and hopefully better than ever. If the preseason was any indication, this was true. The Bulls stormed through the NBA preseason undefeated (stormed through the preseason…haha). Rose looked good. As the regular season started, the rust began to show. He had flashes, but he still didn’t seem completely back. Who could expect that I guess? Here’s a guy who hadn’t played a regular season NBA game in 18 months. Let’s be patient. It’ll come. We have a whole season to shake off the rust. Well, then the meniscus game came at Portland. It was like deja vu all over again. His season was over, or was it? There were all these stories about guys coming back quickly, and then there was the story that Derrick took the conservative, long recovery route. Again, the critics were out, and our patience was tested. Oh well, what can you do? Two serious knee injuries back to back. At least they weren’t both to the same knee. Will he ever be the same? Well, he has 2 strikes now, what happens if the third comes? Let’s hope we don’t find out. The season went on without him, and after the initial shock and losing streak, the Bulls played valiantly. They made the playoffs again without their best player. How many teams could do that? Losing in the first round, ended a rough stretch of 24 months without Rose. Surely, 2014 would be different.
Fast forward to this year. Rose plays for the USA in the offseason. I was OK with it. I thought he could shake off some of the rust playing in this tourney. Yeah, he would be even more prepared for the start of this year. Starting the year, he looked good. He was playing well, until the new injuries started. Sprained ankle against Cleveland, wait, 2 sprained ankles? Then the hamstring against Toronto, and now, he leaves after 10 minutes in Denver. When will this end? The number one story for the Bulls over this past 31 months continues: Will Rose ever be able to stay on the court consistently?
So how does this story end? Thankfully, we’re only in November. I had a guy joke with me about over/under games played for Derrick Rose at 45. You know what, I’ll take 45 games, if those are the last 45 games of the season going through mid June. Maybe they need to shut him down for a while. This constant game time decision drama is tiring. It’s like it shouldn’t even be a story any more. Yet, the fact remains, that without a healthy Rose, an NBA title is a long shot. Thibs actually seemed to take a little of the heat he knew was coming after this latest 10 minute performance, saying it was his decision. Talk about a guy who has to be tired of this… Thibs is handling it the best he could; another reason to admire the guy.
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You can speculate on a lot of angles with this drama. Who is calling the shots? How much is Rose’s camp involved? Are GarPax and Thibs on the same page? Will Rose EVER be 100%? Will Rose ever be able to overcome these 31 months mentally? What is an injury enough to keep him out vs. what is an “uncomfortableness” that he should be able to play through? Is Rose tough enough? Will one more serious injury end his career?
Nobody really knows the answers to these questions. The guy who knows more of the answers than anybody is #1. He keeps saying the right things… Remember, I’m giving him a pass for those post-career concern comments. He keeps working. He’s trying to stay on the court. Is this guy just snake bitten?
Well, I’ll tell you what. Even if you told me there was a 1.7% chance that Derrick would eventually come back and stay healthy, I’d take it. After all, this was how this whole story REALLY started back in the 2008 NBA draft. The Bulls beat the odds to land Rose. Now, Rose must beat the odds to take the Bulls to the promised land. I’m still waiting… patiently. I’m listening to all the critics, and I’m fighting my frustration too. Will it all be worth it in the long run?
On this Thanksgiving Day, let’s thank God for all we have. Let us remember our health and our families. Let’s be thankful for the one thing that rules all others, and that is LOVE. Let’s be thankful we live in a city with all these great teams to root for, even though they’re not that great all the time. Let us be patient and enjoy the ride. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this right now.
bullwinkle
Off all these little ‘uncomfortablenesses’ keep adding up. Take a deep breath and suck it up, get out there and earn some of that money the season ticket holders are shelling out for you to play instead of sitting on the bench…sometimes.
If any of the Bulls from the Championship runs stayed home because of a little ‘uncomfortableness’ they probably would have been ostracized and booed mercilessly. Those guys played thru the aches and pains(except for Scotty’s headache game) for the love of the game and for the promise of the post-season, and they were rewarded with those big rings and another banner in the UC!
Maybe a little more off-season training and working-out to keep everything in playing shape. Look at local athletes like Walter Payton and Gale Sayers. How many games did they miss after being targeted by every defense the Bears played against? Between the 2 of them, probably count them on one hand! They both had rigorous off-season regimens that kept their bodies in playing condition.
I basically like him, but…………………..get of your ass and play the game.